Mobile Computing, gardening and occassional fishing strategies

I have an intermittent connection when it comes to computing devices and voice commands. I’m old enough to remember buying in to the promise of text to speech, but I’m wise enough w to admit that I jumped on that bandwagon when the technology was too young.

I only use voice commands in my car via my mobile phone now. And once again I’m a believer but I see current technologies as pioneers in uncharted territories.

The best example of this is my use of voice commands to initiate a hands free phone call in my car. My experience hasn’t been very satisfying and about half the time I try to dial a number using voice commands or get routine driving information the first results haven’t come close to what I expected

I’ve struggled with the reliability of voice commands on my cell phones paired to my car’s bluetooth network for the last four years and at no time in this period have I been remotely satisfied with the technology.

I can be pretty methodical when it comes to technology, so I haven’t given up and I’ve tried to solve my personal voice command conundrum by replacing phones without luck.

The two-fold problem with voice commands is simple: microphones used by car manufacturers and cell phone manufacturers simply aren’t up to snuff they lack the directional sensitivity and gain that’s needed to make sure the command is understood by a cellphone.; and, voice command is a processor intensive application

But there is great voice technology on the market today and you only need to look no farther than Apples second generation SIRI, Amazon’s Echo and forth coming voice command electronic Assistants from Google, Apple and Microsoft to see or experience how transformational the technology can be.

Because of this, I think voice commands may be a long time coming but it’s on the horizon and companies like Google, QualComm, and Apple, plus auto industry heavyweights like members of the Connected Car consortium (which includes Ford) will blaze the path to the promised land of Voice commands.

Voice commands aren’t mainstream yet,but they are a factor in my selection of a new car, Bluetooth audio components and even my next car.Can you hear me—Jim Forbes on 3 May 2016.

Anyone tracking emerging virtual/augmented reality technologies last week may have seen this category’s first real Simpsons “D’Oh“ moment when a senior Microsoft HoloLens marketing maven admitted that in the rush to push sexy entertainment titles and other content opportunities the world’s most well-known PC software supplier may have been initially blinded to the value of the commercial market for VR software.

Microsoft’s observation points out one of the most glaring errors in the VR market: although entertainment software and content libraries may be sexy, they don’t pay the bills like commercial software does.

There is and has always been a bifurcation in the design philosophies that shape entertainment and commercial software. The former most often taxes the capabilities of hardware, whereas the latter is designed to run on industry standard hardware configurations.

Since the advent of Window 3.1, Microsoft has pushed the boundaries of existing hardware, going so far at one point to introduce and support a hardware accelerator card that improved the performance of 8086-based desktops.

There are two other companies whose past strategies can be used to examine how to launch new technologies such as virtual reality. The most important of these is Apple Computer, which pundits believe is still a long way away from a VR announcement. The other company is Sony which is using its PlayStation platform and a new headset to leap into VR/AR.

Both companies have been able to separate past and current products through the use of intensely loyal brand advocates.

My major criticisms of VR and AR is this: its advocates aren’t getting down in the weeds and talking about the increased costs of accessing and implementing the technologies, and the actual market for VR and AR content could be adversely effected by the cost of hardware.

It’s for these reasons I think we’re about to see hardware makers announce, launch and actively market hardware aimed specifically at VR and AR; and headset makers will be forced to bundle content to gain traction. Of the two technologies, VR may have the lowest entry price and could see the first major wins with commercial software running in real estate “viewing centers” where prospective home buyers can use VR to “walk through” multiple properties.

Although there’s no shortage of commercial and educational applications where VR will be in wide spread use, there is a catch in the recipe for success. The catch : there may be more opportunity than there is specialized talent needed to edit and code new content.

I never ever thought I’d write this but now may be the perfect time to be a film school or animation student. Oh Dear! –Jim Forbes 9 March, 2016.

If there's one single video describing many of the feelings I experienced when I had my stroke. it's this. If you know someone who's had a stroke watch this video with them.

Searching for an interior point of view about what a stroke can feel like, the answers you seek are in this TED presentation.. Dr.Jill Bolte Taylor nails it. I remember laying on the ground thinking, "Oh my God, I'm going to miss my deadline, but I don't want to care about it"

My endearing thanks to Dr. Taylor for her Ted Conference talk.

Do watch it.

i'm still alive and I had the will to come back. "I'm happy and believe in recovery. that's what I wanted to say.

It’s a rare day when I encounter something that shatters some of my long held opinions.

but that’s exactly what happened earlier this July after I saw the effects of the content of a trade show called VidCon, now in its fifth year.

Some background, I’m not a fan of most video blogging content I see on Youtube or other websites.. I find much of it to be overly self centered and segments seldom incorporate a fundamental precept of film and videography, storytelling.

VidCon breaks with the traditional elementary school “show and tell” format of most contemporary curated conferences. First, it uses a format that actively engages its attendees, secondly it exposes them to pioneers of video blogging who are eager to pass on what has worked for themas well as industry luminaries. Finally, VidCon takes networking to a new level with in formal “meet and greet” sessions.VidCon is the brainchild of Hank and John Green, who produce and stream content on YouTube as the VlogBrothers.

What I like about VidCon is its mix of industry, creator and viewer tracks, which has helped make VidCon a sellout confab for the last several years. While most conferences struggle to attract and retain corporate sponsors, VidCon continues to book marquis backers like GoPro, Kia, Panasonic, Tumblr,Univision, YouTube and other companies.

With attendance this year at more than 19,500, VidCon may be on its way to Super Bowl like status among conferences.

VidCon absolutely made me change my views of video blogging, and forced me to understand that storytelling is critical to success in this medium. On my way home, I immediately made a couple of connections: one to the video story telling of public TV’s Huell howser. An dI had witnessed this success bedfore but on a smaller and equally vocal tech segment in a crowded commercial market before, notably the Berkeley Macintosh User Group (BMUG) in the 1980s.

It also provided the call to action I needed to buy a new camera that includes built in editing software and to reacquaint myself with Apple’s iMovie software.

VidCon may be the best conference on video i’ve ever seen and I hope to be there next year, with a new video camera, a shot list and rough story notes.

Oh dear, maybe I should have gone to film school at Long Beach State or Figueroa Tech in Los Angeles.--Jim Forbes on August 6, 2015.

disclosure: I produced the DemoMobile conference and selected companies for the Demo Conference.

Apple may be the beneficiary of the best ever use of products on any broadcast television series.

DOn’t believe me? Turn your television on to a local PBS station on Tuesday nights and pay attention to a series called “Genealogy Roadshow.”

This PBS show about finding your roots and using publicly available and restricted documents to research ancestors features genealogists equipped with iPads and Macbook Air portables. If you watch it, pay close attention to the cast’s carefully styled and executed pinches, expands and swipe gestures

Staffers at Apple’s company stores couldn't do a better job of showing off Apple's gesture technologies than the hosts of PBS’ Genealogy Roadshow.

Apple doesn't sponsor this show, and one of its producers confirmed what I noticed, Apple logos on tablets an notebooks used in the show are obscured.

TV Product placement for technology companies can be as difficult and expensive. It’s definitely not something that MBA candidates learn on graduate schools’ cookie cutter entrepreneurial tracks. Getting a product visibly used on a TV show is much more complex than a VP of marketing or product manager calling an associate producer or Production Designer (who are in charge of setting up shooting locations) in Century City or Hollywood. Genealogy Roadshow is not sponsored by Apple, but it should be. I've never ever seen any television show highlight technologies like this PBS series does tablet, display and portable computing technologies.

Product placement negotiations take time, and technology companies trying to get their technologies spotlighted may not understand the value of real estate on a theatrical or other set.

The best possible scenario appears to be what's happening on this series. producers. directors and other professionals use Apple hardware to seek out and explain family history to the show's guests.

In general, the specialized knowledge associated with product placements isn't part of the Silicon Valley marketing playbooks. That knowledge is found in Los Angeles and is costly. but in this case it appears that apple didn't pay anything to have its technologies used on the show. Which is a huge coup for grandfather personal computer maker

there are two approaches that have been employed in product placement: Apple shows its current technology in appropriate settings: Microsoft, on the other hand, highlights mostly coming technologies in a way that captures the audience’s attention

For an example compare Apple’s products on genealogy Roadshow with Microsoft's transparent display technology on CSI and Hawaii 5-0.

Today, Silicon Valley’s 5000-pound gorilla, Google, isn't engaged in this. but it’s only a matter of time before Hollywood jumps on the autonomous car bandwagon.

There are a lot of technologies that could be highlighted on PBS and commercial network shows. but the void between “We need to do this” and getting it done may, for the moment, be completely missing from the skills found in Silicon Valley-- Jim Forbes, March 1, 2015

*** Note after receiving a comment on this post from a PBS Genealogy Roadshow staffer, I change d this postand its headline to clarify that Apple does not supply hardware seen on TV.--jmf on 3/10/2015

As a result of doing the unthinkable: slashing my technological overhead and going without my cell phone or a wireless internet connection on a recent four-day vacation. But I always have a notebook stashed away when I travel but for the first time in five years I couldn’t use it when I felt the urge to write.

Which brings me to the point of this short post: There is an immediate need and major opportunity for a small footprint stand-alone word processor that works on Wintel hardware.

Although i’[ve used Microsoft Word going back to the dark ages before Windows, that application has become too bloated for me.

So tooling down I-5 from the Sierra, my mind drifted back to previous word processing programs and why I liked them.Lets look back:

Wordstar-- whether you hated it or loved it (or dreamed of Control K commands in your sleep) this dinosaur blitzed along on computers equipped with only 64K of memory.

XyWrite-- another of my all time favs because it closely resembled the ATEX text composition software used in many newsrooms. and it ran very nicely from loppy disks on Dos omputers with 512K of memory.

Microsoft Write-- an inexpensive Mac word processor that was a gateway to Word.it ran very nicely on 128K Macintoshes. A Windows version of this program, was also available through the introduction of Windows NT

Microsoft WordPad-- included with Windows and incredibly versatile. Like Microsoft NotePad, WordPad can be used to open and edit many types of documents.

T/Maker’s Write Now-- an incredibly fast word processor that initially ran on 128K Macs but which in its basic version offered indexing and a feature that remembered where you were in a specific document and booted up to that place.I still mourn WriteNow. It had everything I needed and could save files as pure Ascii text.

So there I was, my ultrabook on a picnic table, battery powered lantern by its side, forgetting for a moment that I was technologically untethered.I wanted to writeup my notes about golf prospectors i had interviewed earlier that day but had no Internet of connecting to the Google mothership because I couldn’t tether my cell phone

My solution was right there in Windows, Wordpad

So, why would I buy and install a commercially developed small footprint word processor and how much would I be willing to pay for it?

I’d buy one if generated files that could be cut and pasted seamlessly into my blogging application, Typepad and if it didn’t require that I install a larger SSD on my ultrabook. And come to think about it,I would be willing to pay somewhere north of $75 to have a good word processor on my “every trip” notebook.

But to put a point on it, Apple had this figured out along time ago when it began bundling applications on its macintosh portables, all in one desktops and its Macbook Air.

So if you're in the Sierra this weekend and you see some dude banging on a portable by lanternlight, have no fear, I don’t bite, but I do laugh at myself.--Jim Forbes on 07/15/2014

I'm sure there will be some outstanding reasons for using wearable computers that provide eyes-forward information displays someday, but intending to use any such device for use in conjunction with operating a motor vehicle in traffic today seems tantamount to accepting an invitation to be an organ donor.The number of such products is limited now, but like the Labor Day weekend reports of traffic deaths in olden times, I’m sure more eyes forward, heads-up displays are being pitched and prototyped now.

One of the most dangerous products i’ve ever seen at any technology launch pad event was shown at Demo 2013 last fall. The product was the Skully AR-1 motorcycle helmet which incorporates a heads-up GPS display, bluetooth connection and voice command support, plus a rear mounted camera that gives motorcyclists a 180-degree rear view of following traffic (all the better for seeing the traffic officer zooming up behind you with red lights shining after he’s noticed the glow of an illegal computer screen).

I was surprised that this product was shown at Demo, since a cursory look at the California Vehicle Code(CVC Section 27602) clearly shows that operating any motor vehicle in CA with an active television display,computer monitor or display in view of the driver is illegal, The exceptions to California’s rule are built are GPS systems that are either built into a car or mounted on a dashboard.

California’s Vehicle code rules out the most profitable market --California-- for aftermarket performance equipment such as the Skull helmets.

Google Glass users have come under the eagle eyes of California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers since the devices first appeared in the six SoCal counties.

The first ticket issued to a Google Glass wearer was written in October 2013 in San Diego on the I-15 freeway, after a female Temecula, CA resident was cited for a speeding violation and was observed by the patrol officer wearing Google Glass.

The offender, Cecelia Abadie,used an attoney to contest the citation, which was dismissed because the CHP officer couldn’t prove the glasses were turned on. But,, the attorney was unsuccessful in arguing for dismisal because Google Glass wasn’t specifically mentioned in CVC Section 27602.

Ms Abadie’s attorney was successful, however in getting a speeding ticket for driving 80 mph in a posted 65 mph section of I-15 dismissed because of a lack of evidence, according to published news reports

Abadie was the first driver to be ticketed in the United Stats for operating a motor vehicle while wearing Google Glass, according to the reports. The self described “interhumanist” claimed on her Facebook page that the case will allow “Cy Borg” (Google Glass) explorers to “drive happy.”

Apparently she overlooked the judge’s dismissing the citation on a technicality.Had it been documented that her Google Glasses been operating when she was stopped, the outcome of the case may have been much different, since CVC 27602 allows judges to impose additional penalties.

According to published report three other states are considering legislation similar to California’s.

Heads up displays and helmet augmented reality display technologies have a place in our society. Foremost on that list are helicopter gunship crews, attack aircraft pilots and entertainment venues.

But wait there’s more.Sure as God made little green apples, an attorney representing a motorcycle driver injured because they were wearing a heads-up display will arrive at the inescapable conclusion that Google or the venture capitalists who backed start-ups that made the technology possible have very deep pockets and that manufacturers need to include warnings on product packaging.--Jim Forbes on 01/19/2010.

I have a big complaint with much of the search technology used for streaming media and other sites.. To put it simply, it’s just not very smart.

Unless it’s gets a lot smarter, any PC maker who is betting any part of the future on PCs as entertainment could lose their table stakes.

I{n an ideal world, any search engine that I use to locate an online episode of PBS’s Nova series should correctly assume I'm interested in science or technology programming and initially make deep recommendations based to my searches. It’s improbable that any search feature could satisfy my pent up demand on the first try.But believe that after I’ve used it for awhile, it should be able to meet my pent up expectations.

There are more search recommendation engines that fail than succeed. Surprisingly, NetFLix recommendations just don’t cut it in my world. And don’t even get me started on Spotify, whose recommendations don’t even come close to what expect in a streaming audio site.

But, there are some services that show promise. Apple Itunes’ Genius feature is one example. To make a point, Genius is the only service I’ve stumbled on that correctly predicted that I might be interested in the music of the Los Angeles band Hiroshima because I have downloaded music from fusion guitarists Larry Carlton and Robben Ford.

how smart does search have to be to understand the names of musician/sidemen who accompany a featured player and then recommend selections from those artists?

I think the answer is “not very smart.”

Google’s YouTube is another great example of a site with above average search in the streaming media entertainment category, YouTube is the only site that produces search results that are contextually linked to topics. Examples of this include my deep interest in California Gold mining. After searching for documentaries on dry lands gold propecting, YouTube delivered amature footage detailing of how an avocational prospector made a gold discovery about 200 miles from my house. The YouTube Search engine also works very well when it comes to semantic search results.

Despite the overpowering dominance of Google Search, which has been made more powerful by Semantic Search technologies,, I believe there is still a lot of money for entrepreneurs to mine in search engine technology.

Reality listing is a classic example. I want badly to move to the Sacramento CA region -- where housing is still quite affordable and I would really love to use my veteran’s house loan to buy a small house with a dock on the Sacramento River.

Given the price of housing, you might assume real estate listing services would want an engine that delivers lists of available properties in response to specific queries such as “Home For Sale Sacramento RIver with dock.”

Unfortunately only one service has responded to my query with a specific property.

but I’m still hopeful and believe improved search technology is ight around the corner. If not, I’m pre approved for a zero down VA loan at two and fraction percent interest.

And that leaves me with enough money to buy boat 3.0 to tie to my very own dock on California’s Mother river.-- Jim Forbes on August 15, 2013.

Subject: Opt-in,Opt-Out and My Willingness to use a HatchetWhen Reviewing

I”ve agreed to test a lot of new software in the last three decades. Mostly, it’s been a rewarding experience.

When a new company asks me to participate in the testing of anew application or service, I take the challenge seriously and I try to be as honest as possible about my experiences with the application—or hardware. In fact I make a point of testing applications on what I define as “my everyday machine” or in “common usage scenarios” when I agree to test something.

I am intensely interested in several emerging categories ofapplications. Some of these include note taking (or outlining), mobile commerceand consumer group conferencing applications, web-based office productivity and other packages.

I recognize most new software developers don’t have deep pockets and are under enormous pressure from investors to initiate revenue streams. Unfortunately some developers have resorted to partnerships with bloatware providers to trickle coins into their purses.

If someone agrees to test any company’s software, the developer should never assume they are also explicitly agreeing to install some lame ass, second string search toolbar dredged up from the Nineties. I’m perfectly happy using Google or Microsoft Bing.

Moreover, many of my primary apps are video intensive, so I do not want to waste valuable memory assets with some silly software that was selected for extinction by consumers 14 years ago.

My recent experience with a consumer video sharing application is one example. I installed the host based kernel and bigger than life, an Ask.com toolbar obnoxiously attached itself to some of my primary apps. Damn it! If I wanted to use Ask.com, I’d consciously install it. Not directly asking my permission to install it is a violation of my trust. And that’s something that makes me questionthe competence and integrity of a company’s management all the way up to its Board of Directors.

I absolutely hate bloatware in all its sundry forms. My computer is my property and I deliberately choose how and what programs I install and use. Because I agree to test an application doesn’t mean I’m opting to also use a dinosaur from Computing’s Triassic age. In fact, all three of themost recent problems I’ve had with my computer have been caused by bloatware that’s accompanied new software I’m testing.

Opt-in,Opt-Out is an ongoing marketing strategy, yet again.

SO here’s the deal, I will savage any application that doesn’t allow me to easily opt-out of companion installations. Given the maturity of technology, any assumption by a developer that my testing of a program constitutes an axiomatic agreement that I’m opting in forces me to question asoftware company’s understanding of its user base. And when I go down that road,I am forced to look at the experience of that company’s management, its board of directors and all its investors.

My screed isn’t limited to software. Once again, bloatware has become a huge problem in hardware.

I have a nicely keened Fiskars hatchet I’m willing to use on any product that violates my beliefs in opt--in, opt-out. I also have a strong hand that’s willing to use that edged instrument.—Jim Forbes on 12/07/2012.

Studio G, a new technology incubator in Redwood City, CA breaks a long established Silicon Valley mold with an approach that makes it seem more like a graduate school for entrepreneurs than rubber stamp hatchery producing the “next big thing.”

Called “Studio G, the 3,500 sf incubator is located in downtown Redwood City, CA, and is the home of Guidewire’s US operations and the office of its founder , Chris Shipley.

Located near the Train station in downtown Redwood City’s revitalized theater district, Studio G is designed to accelerate technology entrepreneurs through product development, Ms Shipley notes.

Shipley has spiced the traditional Silicon Valley incubator recipe of working space, office tools and relentless high speed internet connectivity with practicum and other on-site instruction on what entrepreneurs need to know to succeed.

Unlike many Silicon Valley incubators that rely on captive Venture capitalists to proctor start-ups. Studio G’s faculty comes from the deep pool of entrepreneurial connections Shipley has maintained throughout her 30-plus year career.

Another important spice in Studio G’s menu is an a la cart option that lets entrepreneurs sign up for classes on a yearly basis.

When discussing Studio ’d business model with Chris Shipley I was struck by how much her new venture reminded me of consultancy and how easy it would be to scale her new venture for venues nation or world-wide.

(disclosure: Chris Shipley and I were colleagues several times in our careers; first at PCWeek, and most recently producing the Demo technology conference events--jmf.)